A shocking video that went viral on social media has once again brought to light the acute discrimination faced by religious minorities in India. The video depicts a distressing incident of a school teacher subjecting a seven-year-old Muslim student to degrading treatment in Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state. The video shows Trapta Tyagi, a primary school teacher, targeting a young Muslim student named Mohammad Altamash in Neha Public School, located in Kubbapur village. The teacher is seen not only singling out the student due to his religion but also inciting his classmates to physically harm him. The child stands before the class, visibly terrified and wailing as his classmates are asked to slap him one by one. The distressing video highlights the traumatic experience that the young boy had to endure, leaving him emotionally shocked and dazed.
This incident underscores the pressing issue of intolerance towards minorities, particularly Muslims, in the Hindutva country. This is not an isolated occurrence. The discrimination against Indian Muslims has historical roots that manifold increased ever since Modi assumed the office of the Prime Minister with several instances of barring the Muslims from practicing their rituals in mosques. There are even bans on them to eat or trade in beef meat whilst every now and then there are reports of the killing of Muslims on one pretext or another. Several world analysts and bodies have already warned of genocide of Muslims in India. Instances like these are a testament to the larger issue of intolerance that often emanates from positions of leadership. When authority figures engage in discriminatory behaviour, it sends a dangerous message that permeates society. Leadership has a pivotal role in shaping attitudes and beliefs, and when leaders engage in discriminatory actions, it encourages such attitudes to flourish in the broader populace. The international community especially the Muslim countries need to come forward and raise their voice in strongest manner against the maltreatment of Indian Muslims. It is time to stand with the Muslims in India.
